Hopes and Fears
by Doctor Addison Montgomery
Summary: AndreaNeil. A series of songfictions exploring the ups and downs of Neil and Andrea's relationship and their hopes and fears. Please review! x x x


**Hopes and Fears**

**Chapter One - Your Eyes Open**

**Summary: **AndreaNeil. A series of songfictions exploring the ups and downs of Neil and Andrea's relationship and their hopes and fears. The first songfic is 'Your Eyes Open' by Keane and is set after the explosion at Sun Hill.  
Please review! Vikki, x x x.

_ANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANaNANANANANANAN_

_**Well it's a lonely road that you have chosen**_

_**Morning comes and you don't want to know me anymore  
And it's a long time since your heart was frozen**_

_**Morning comes and you don't want to know me anymore.**_

Detective Inspector Neil Manson sat beside the hospital bed on the Intensive Care Unit of St Hughes General Hospital. He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket and looked at the face of his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past hour. He had waiting, impatiently to say the least, for what seemed like an eternity for Police Constable Andrea Dunbar to regain consciousness and open her eyes. Neil wondered if he could still call her PC Dunbar as today was the day that Andrea had finally revealed herself to her lover as actually being an undercover journalist and not a copper at all. In the eyes of her superiors Andrea Dunbar was a fraud, an impostor and most definitely a liability. Neil didn't know if he wanted her to open her eyes, he didn't know if he could deal with the hurt of her betrayal or the pain of losing her. He loved Andrea the way he had never loved his wife Philippa but it still didn't stop him feeling angry and resentful towards her. Neil's affair with Andrea could have cost him his career and reputation as well as his wife and their son Jake. Somehow it had all be worth it up until now, but that was before he knew the amount of deception Andrea had been operating behind. He began to wonder if she ever had really loved him or whether he was just another pawn in her game to expose Sun Hill Police Station as being incompetent at dealing with proper criminals because the officers were more concerned with their personal lives. Neil couldn't be sure and that was the worst part.

_**For a moment your eyes open and you know**_

_**All the things you ever wanted me to know**_

_**I don't know you, I don't want to**_

_**Till the moment your eyes open and you know.**_

_She stood before Gabriel, feeling confident and self-assured. She was going to bring this man down; this evil piece of scum who pretended to be a police officer. She, Smithy and Laura had all the proof they needed to bring Gabriel Kent down and she was loving every minute of flaunting it in his sadistic, evil face. She would enjoy every moment of bringing him to justice. After the trauma he had put June through and the living nightmare he had made of Kerry's life; her friend Kerry. It was too much to think about, everytime he thought about how badly Gabriel had treated Kerry she got a bitter taste in her mouth. He had hurt almost everyone on the relief, past and present. Andrea couldn't wait to see him get exactly what he deserved._

_Then the unexpected happened; the crash of a van driving into the front of the building at full speed, the catastrophe and the fire, the alarm bells ringing in their ears making their eardrums feel like they were about to explode. Gabriel now sensed his advantage._

Neil watched as Andrea stirred, this was a good sign...wasn't it? He squeezed her hand tighter in his, worrying about her honesty and her intentions towards him seemed pointless now. Neil Manson loved this woman and he was not about to lose her. Maybe it was their fiery determination that made them so similar and had brought them together. All he knew was that he couldn't lose her, not now, not when so many things were left unsaid.

_**That it's a lonely place that you have run to**_

_**Morning comes and you don't want to know me anymore**_

_**And it's a lonely end that you have come to  
Morning comes and you don't want to know me anymore**_

Only hours earlier, Neil Manson had been stood outside of Andrea's apartment building, ready to make another go of things and ready to tell her exactly how he felt about her. Why was it now that he was seeing her like this that he was having second thoughts? He loved this woman but he didn't really know anything about her, he thought he knew everything about her but he hadn't. Would it ever be possible to trust her again after this, but what if he never got the chance? Panic gripped at Neil, the shock gave way to the fact that he knew this could be the end for Andrea and himself whether it was what he wanted or not. Andrea's eyelids fluttered but she did not open them; Neil got to his feet and was about to call for a nurse.

_The building collapsed around them, debris causing destruction everywhere. Andrea choked on the smoke, her lungs aching with the effort of breathing already. This wasn't how it was meant to be? Where was everyone? Why was she here alone? Where had everyone gone? Why her? And more importantly, why him? If she had the choice of being trapped in a burning building with anyone, the last person she ever would have chosen would have been Gabriel Kent. This was the stuff of nightmares but she was very much awake; the heat of the fire and the smoke in the room were far too real for this to just be a dream. The constant ringing of the alarm was deafening her but not enough to take away the reality of Gabriel's words. He had no reason to save her, no reason at all and he wasn't planning to. All this talk about him making a fresh start was making her feel sick, she knew she was going to die here and this wasn't how it was supposed to be._

_**For a moment your eyes open and you know**_

_**All the things you ever wanted me to know**_

_**I don't know you, I don't want to**_

_**Till the moment your eyes open and you know.**_

Neil wasn't imagining things this time; Andrea really did open her eyes. He sat back down and held her hand in his again.

"Hey," He smiled, feeling relief wash over him and most of his doubts were erased.

"Neil?" Andrea sat upright in the narrow hospital bed, her eyes wide open and she knew.

_**For a moment your eyes open and you know**_

_**All the things you ever wanted me to know**_

_**I don't know you, I don't want to**_

_**Till the moment your eyes open and you know.**_

_**  
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